The sixth series of The Masked Singer UK has now passed the halfway point on ITV, with viewers determined to guess the identities behind the remaining seven characters. One alias that's been getting a lot of attention is Pufferfish. They have wowed us with their stunning vocals - arguably some of the best the show's ever seen. Speculation surrounding Pufferfish's identity has been circulating online, with lots of US names being thrown around. Guesses have included Hayden Panettiere, Gwen Stefani, Nicole Richie, Lea Michele, Jamie-Lynn Spears and Katy Perry.

However, some musical theatre fans - myself included - are certain that Samantha Barks is behind the mask. In that case, let's take a look at the West End star's career and life so far. Samantha was born and raised in Laxey on the Isle of Man with her parents Richard and Ann, and older sister Kim. She began dancing at the age of three, training in ballet, modern and tap, before joining the Manx Ballet Company.

At just 16 years old, Samantha moved to London by herself to complete her A Levels at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in Chiswick. In 2007, Samantha released her debut album, Looking in Your Eyes, which sold around 600 copies. She also supported Matt Willis and the Sugababes that year, and represented the Isle of Man in the Maltese International Song Competition - which she won. Her career was turned on its head in 2008 when she was one of the finalists in I'd Do Anything - the BBC competition show that searched for a new lead to play Nancy in the West End revival of Oliver!.

17-year-old Samantha came in third place, behind runner-up Jessie Buckley and winner Jodie Prenger - all of whom have launched successful careers since. Three months after the show ended, Samantha was announced to play the lead role of Sally Bowles in the UK tour of Cabaret. She eventually got to play Nancy in the Oliver! tour, too. Samantha made her West End debut as Éponine in Les Misérables in 2010. The role changed her life as producer Cameron Mackintosh chose her to play the same character in the 25th Anniversary Concert of the show and in the 2012 musical film. This led her to perform alongside her co-stars at the 85th Oscars ceremony in 2013.

Samantha's rendition of On My Own is still one of the most revered today, and even landed on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was first released. After wowing audiences in Les Misérables, the star played the role of Velma Kelly in the 2013 production of Chicago at The Hollywood Bowl. She also performed alongside Bridgerton/Wicked star Jonathan Bailey in The Last Five Years and starred in the title role of the world premiere of Amélie.

In 2017, Samantha originated the role of Vivian in the stage musical of Pretty Woman, which premiered in Chicago before transferring to Broadway. She was then cast as Elsa in the West End production of Frozen, which ran from August 2021 to September 2024. "Every other part I've played has a love interst, and that has been like the main focus. This is not that at all... Elsa is a really complex part," Samantha previously explained.

"And she's so isolated, so that's very interesting. It's a lot of 'conceal and don't feel' until she has that moment of self-acceptance and self-love.". Samantha got married to Pretty Woman co-star Alex Stoll in 2022, with the couple welcoming their son Rafael in October 2023. She returned to Frozen from maternity leave four months later. The star has released three studio albums, and has even tried her hand at judging talent on All Star Musicals and 2023's Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - which searched for two performers to play the roles of Sophie and Sky in Mamma Mia! in London's West End. The all-star judging panel was also made up of Amber Riley, Jessie Ware and Alan Carr.

So far on The Masked Singer, Pufferfish has wowed with stunning renditions of Chappell Roan's Good Luck, Babe and Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Last weekend, the star sang Lose Control by Teddy Swims. Many believe that the clue song could allude to Elsa losing her powers in Frozen - which Samantha did every night in the West End for four years. The star has denied her involvement in the show, telling suspecting fans on X (formerly Twitter) that "it's not me sorry" - though, that could be a clever ruse.